National Building Consent Authority Competency Assessment System (NCAS)

NCAS supports BCAs in meeting the requirements of the Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Regulations 2006, specifically Regulations 9, 10, and 11. These regulations require BCAs to:

• Identify the capacity and capability (competency) needs of their organisation
• Allocate building consent work only to competent staff or contractors (or have them supervised if they are gaining competency)
• Assess the competency of each building control employee (at least once every two years, under the 2024 amendment to Regulation 10) and keep records of those assessments
• Provide training and development for staff to address any skill gaps (Regulation 11).

The NCAS is issued as guidance under the Building Act. It’s not mandatory, but it has become the industry standard and is endorsed by MBIE. Practically all BCAs use NCAS (or a very similar system), and the accreditation body (IANZ) uses NCAS as the benchmark when auditing BCA compliance with the regulations. By using NCAS, BCAs contribute to national consistency in building control decisions. It means a “competent” officer in one council has been assessed by comparable criteria as one in another council, making it easier to trust shared resources and expertise across regions. 

Key features of NCAS (version 2)

• Introduction of specific competencies for Building Control Officials (BCOs) who perform building control functions on Large Dams.
• Incorporation of the 2024 amendments to the BCA Accreditation Regulations, including the transition from an annual to a biennial competency assessment cycle.
• The competency specifications for the residential and commercial competency levels have been condensed into a single table for each grouping, meaning that steps in competence are now clearer and more obvious. Six separate competency levels have been retained, but the largely repetitive areas of 'core competency' in each of the six levels have been condensed into two consolidated competency specifications.
• The notion of 'core competencies' for the residential and commercial competency groupings has been introduced, which better reflects the steps in competence and ability a BCO should possess from Residential 1 - Residential 3 and Commercial 1 - Commercial 3.
• 'Assessment types' have been better clarified (for example assessment of a new candidate, no level change etc) as have assessor requirements.
• Competency requirements for offsite manufacturing (OSM) or modular component manufacturing (MCM) have been better clarified in this version.
• For clarity, the system includes detail on specific engineered design (SED) and alternative solutions and how these are viewed under the NCAS.
• There is more detail on ‘building importance levels’ for each of the six competency levels. 
• An improved and more logical numbering system has been applied to competency specifications, which now links back to each of the Regulations under 10(3)(a)-(f) of the BCA Accreditation Regulations.
• A hybrid residential level of competence has been included to accommodate those who are processing, inspecting or certifying medium density housing (MDH) to four storeys.
• Some of the tools or templates included in Version 1 have been removed (for example 'the candidate evidence form') with a preference to use naturally occurring evidence (technical audits, active processing and inspections sampling etc) when, and wherever possible.
• Revision of the glossary of terms to better explain and clarify key concepts used throughout the document.

Competency levels

Under NCAS, there are six defined competency levels, broadly grouped into Residential and Commercial categories. Each level corresponds to the complexity of buildings a person is competent to handle. In the 2026 guidance, the competency specifications are presented in two groups – Residential and Commercial – rather than as six separate and repetitive levels. However, the concept of three levels within each group remains (often informally referred to as Residential 1, 2, 3 and Commercial 1, 2, 3). 

Residential competencies

Covers all types of residential building work, from simple dwellings to complex multi-unit housing, including additions and alterations to existing residential building stock. The Residential category includes the core competencies needed for basic residential projects and extends to higher competencies for more complex scenarios. In summary, residential competency covers:

• Simple residential structures (Residential 1): Small buildings like garages, sheds, and other outbuildings, as well as simple single-storey houses built to standard designs (eg NZS 3604 timber-framed construction). 
• Standard houses of moderate complexity (Residential 2): Detached dwellings up to two storeys, still designed to common standards, but with additional complexity or risk factors. 
• Large or complex residential buildings (Residential 3): Dwellings up to three storeys, including some multi-unit residential buildings (like townhouses or walk-up apartments). These buildings may involve shared walls (vertical fire separations between units) but each unit has its own external exit) and remain Importance Level 1 or 2 buildings.

Commercial competencies

Cover all commercial, industrial, communal and multi-unit residential (e.g. apartment building) work. The Commercial category spans from small, low-risk buildings to large, complex structures, including additions and alterations to existing commercial building stock. In summary, commercial competency covers:

• Small-scale commercial buildings (Commercial 1): Low-rise commercial or public buildings up to 2 storeys with low occupant loads (generally ≤ 100 people). This includes small offices, retail shops, restaurants, warehouses, and similar light industrial or communal buildings. It also includes small multi-unit residential buildings of comparable size – for example, a two-storey apartment or motel (use group SR or SA) – especially where there is a simple horizontal fire separation between floors. These structures are mostly Importance Level 2, while some of the light industrial and warehouse buildings are designed to Importance Level 1
• Mid-size or moderate complexity commercial buildings (Commercial 2) : Buildings up to 4 storeys or with an occupant load up to about 500 people. This covers a wide range: medium-sized office buildings, hotels, multi-storey apartment buildings, schools, or hospitals of limited height, and also large single-storey facilities (like a big-box retail store or a sports hall). These projects typically involve multiple specified systems (fire alarms, sprinklers, elevators, etc.) and more complex structural and fire engineering than less complex and smaller commercial buildings
• Large or complex commercial buildings (Commercial 3): High-rise or high-occupancy structures, generally over 4 storeys or more and can have more than 500 occupants. This includes commercial buildings of unlimited height (office towers, high-rise apartments), large public buildings like major malls or stadiums, and special structures with critical post-disaster functions (Importance Level 3, 4 or 5). Such projects demand advanced understanding of structural design, fire engineering, facade systems, and often involve alternative solutions for Building Code compliance. A building official assessed as competent in this range can handle the most complex consents (eg a 10-storey high-rise mixed-use building or a large hospital complex). 

Resources and templates

To implement NCAS, BCAs have access to a range of supporting documents and tools. The NCAS guidance document itself contains most of these in its appendices, and they are also provided as separate downloadable resources for easy use:

Assessment form template

A standard template for planning and recording competency assessments. It includes Part 1 – Assessment Plan, Part 2 – Assessor’s evaluation notes, and Part 3 – Outcome and sign-off. Using a consistent form ensures all necessary information is captured.

Assessment form template [PDF 163KB]

Skills matrix template

A structured table that BCAs can use to record each staff member’s competency status across Residential and Commercial categories. It supports work allocation decisions and provides a clear overview of the BCA’s capability profile.

Skills matrix template [PDF 115KB]

Contact

For any questions or further information about the NCAS, email: consentsystem@mbie.govt.nz